Israel Centeno examines the changes that Hugo Chávez has made to Venezuela’s government, including constitutional revisions, and wonders whether, even with a change in leadership, Venezuela can become a democratic state.

On September 8th, 2012, City of Asylum/Pittsburgh hosted its 8th annual Jazz Poetry Concert at the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh’s North Side. The concert featured highlight performances by Oliver Lake’s Steel Quartet with Meshell Ndegeocello.

In this week’s column, Venezuelan author Israel Centeno issues a sharp critique to the Venice Biennale – and, by extension, the European left – for awarding the Golden Lion prize to the Tower of David, a 45-story “shantytown” project in Caracas, Venezuela.

Venezuelan writer Israel Centeno draws troubling comparisons between the government-tolerated militias in Venezuela and Benito Mussolini’s shock troops. These armed militias are alleged to be responsible for the growing number of violent crimes.

In this week’s Night Watch Venezuelan writer Israel Centeno traces the history of violence in Venezuela from the turn of the 20th century up to the present. “Venezuela is a cocktail of poverty, injustice, resentment, a rentier mentality, and clientelistic wealth.”

In this week’s Night Watch Israel Centeno talks about the euphemisms society uses to limit free speech. “The purpose of exercising freedom is neither to reassert a consensus, nor to verify the truth of a bias, nor to impose a dogma.”

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About Sampsonia Way

Sampsonia Way is an online magazine sponsored by City of Asylum/Pittsburgh that seeks to protect and advocate for writers who may be endangered, to educate the public about threats to writers and literary expression, and to create a community in which endangered writers thrive and literary culture is a valued part of life.